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rapid transit
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A London Underground train with red and white cars arrives at a curved subway platform, with passengers visible inside and signs overhead. Metro Center Station in Washington, D.C.
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A London Underground train with red and white cars arrives at a curved subway platform, with passengers visible inside and signs overhead.
London Underground A train departing from a London Underground subway station. London's subway is often called “the Tube” because of the shape of the tunnels.

rapid transit

transportation
Also known as: heavy rail transit, metro system
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Metro Center Station in Washington, D.C.
Metro Center Station in Washington, D.C.The Metro Center Station in the Washington, D.C., subway opened in 1976. The greatest number of trips on the line on a single day, 1.12 million, occurred during the inauguration of U.S. Pres. Barack Obama on January 20, 2009.

rapid transit, system of railways, usually electric, that is used for local transit in a metropolitan area. A rapid transit line may run underground (subway), above street level (elevated transit line), or at street level. Rapid transit is distinguished from other forms of mass transit by its operation on exclusive right-of-way, with no access for other vehicles or for pedestrians. See elevated transit line; mass transit; subway.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Chelsey Parrott-Sheffer.